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December 3, 2008

Sox, Pedroia Agree on 6-Year Extension

The Red Sox wasted no time locking up American League MVP Dustin Pedroia with a six-year, $40.5 million contract, with an option for 2015, that takes them through three arbitration and two free-agent seasons. ...

The 25-year-old second baseman will receive a signing bonus of $1.5 million and a salary of $1.5 million in 2009, followed by salaries of $3.5 million, $5.5 million and $8 million in what would have been his three years of arbitration eligibility. Pedroia would earn $10 million salaries in 2013 and 2014.

The deal, negotiated by agents Sam and Seth Levinson, also includes a team option to pay him $11 million in 2015 or buy him out for $500,000. If Pedroia is traded, the option would be voided.

Even though Pedroia is not eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season -- four years from now -- I love this deal. FY gets some financial security and if he continues to produce as he has over the last two years, Boston will be getting an obscene bargain for nearly a decade.

Papelbon's shoulder issues haven't really been a big deal for two years now.

I'm not sure if he gets a long deal (especially if K-Rod only gets 3 years, like it's starting to seem), but I don't think health is really an especially big concern with Paps. He had a somewhat injured shoulder in his first full year in the majors... if having a small injury when you're young makes you that nervous, it's going to be awfully hard to find pitching.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Kevin Youkilis is a player who hit .300 with 30 home runs once. While I think he'll probably be able to do it a couple more times, his career average for home runs is 19 every 600 games. He's a .289/.385/.472 career hitter - good but not great. I think right now he's better than that, but there's no reason to gamble; we've got him locked up until he's 33.

If we sign Tex, we'll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 million dollars between Ortiz, Lowell, and Texiera. We already have Kevin Youkilis until 2011. We've got one of the best corner infield prospects in baseball on the way. I don't see where a multi-year extension is a necessary move.

If we sign Tex, we'll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 million dollars between Ortiz, Lowell, and Texiera. We already have Kevin Youkilis until 2011.

If they sign Tex, I doubt Lowell will still be here , and you are not considering Papi a coner infielder are you? I beleive we owned FY for quite awhile as well...I think they will sign Youk , and we drop out of the Tex sweepstakes next week